polcanfandomcom-20200213-history
Laure Sabot
Laure Sabot is a New Democratic Canadian Member of Parliament. She is the first and only New Democrat to have been elected in Québec. She replaced outgoing Progressive Conservative Richard Grisé and recently won re-election during the 1993 Election despite heavy competition from the newly-formed Bloc Québécois. Before Politics Laure was born in Outremont, Québec, to Pierre and Hélène Givenchy. She was raised in a working-class household, with her father working as a manufacturer and local union head and her mother volunteering in the political sphere when she wasn't employing herself around the house. Laure went onto earn a scholarship to study at Sarah Lawrence College, in New York, Givenchy outlet before continuing her studies to earn a Master of Laws at McGill. After graduating from McGill, Laure spent two years to help raise her children. She joined the work force in 1977, when she briefly worked as a law clerk. Seeking more family-friendly hours, she became a law librarian. Laure became interested in the battle for the legal right to an abortion and became a key legal advisor to Henry Morgentaler in 1983. Her work culminated into her role as counsel for the Supreme Court case R v. Morgentaler (1988) that recognized abortion as a Charter right. Political Career Before 1993 Laure was tapped by her local riding association for the 1993 by-election as an unlucky dark-horse candidate for a party that had never won a seat within Québec. Laure had also been supportive of the NDP, sticking to her father's trade unionist roots, but this was her first full-on experience in politics. She faced her toughest opposition from an anglophone provincial Minister Clifford Lincoln. In a by-election that was defined by subtle language revolving around the ideas of sovereignty, a growing trend in federal elections for Québec, Laure was able to earn a reputation as a candidate who would not advocate federalism or sovereignty in Ottawa, but rather focus on social democratic values. Laure was able to win her riding in a surprise landslide and became the first elected New Democrat from Québec. Towards the end of her first term, Laure was named as the New Democrats' Deputy Leader until the new tenure of the equally new Bill Anderson. Laure headed into her first election with the snap announcement by Irving Eaton of a general election in 1993. This would be the first that would be contested in Québec with the Bloc Québécois. She lost many of her supporters to the new party, but was able to retain enough support to maintain a thirteen vote margin over the Bloc to the surprise of nearly everyone. Many commented on how her party performed at its poorest percentages provincially but were remarkably able to keep Laure's seat. After 1993 Laure returned to Ottawa with her small margin and her big ideas... Personal Life Family Life Laure is married to Hamilton Sabot (born 1948; married in 1974), a former Olympic rower and current elementary school teacher, and has four children: twins David and René (born 1975), Emilie (born 1977), and Geoffrey (born 1981). Laure enjoys spending her time with her family, attending the theatre, studying linguistics, and attending the opera. She identifies as a Christian humanist. Separatist Ties Some have critiqued Laure as a closeted separatist, pointing to the fact that her mother was a Parti Québécois Member of the National Assembly from 1976 until 1985 and that Laure's campaign material speak in a much more conciliatory tone towards Québec than most other New Democratic literature will. Laure contends that she holds differing political beliefs than her mother and her party but ultimately believes in Québec's role within Canada. External Links Who's Who Biography http://politicscanada.x10hosting.com/viewtopic.php?p=107#p107 Electoral Record Sabot, LaureSabot, LaureSabot, Laure